Bearing knockout tool



Jan. i8, 1944. H. J. ENGH BEARING KNOCK-OUT TOOL Filed Aug. 9, 1941 nuhfhln.

, Nnqhwm N WQ@ anced control of the tool.

Patented Jan. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BEARING KNOCKOUT TOOLHoward J. Engh, Salt Lake City, Utah Application August 9, 1941, SerialNo. 406,153

(Cl. 2li-88.2)

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a bearing knock-out tool, and moreparticularly to a tool of that description when applied to anti-frictionbearings, for example, ball bearings or taper roller bearings, such asare used in the iront wheels oi' automotive vehicles.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a tool whichshall:

First. Be simple. durable `and relatively inexpensive.

Second. Catch the knocked-out bearing parts "on the fly or in transit,to prevent them from landing on the ground.

Third. Have the knock-out force applied to the bearing uniformly aroundits circumference.

Fourth. Be applicable to bearing parts which ordinarily are not'readilyaccessible.

Various kinds of bearing knock-out tools are in everyday use, but allsuch tools with which I have worked are open to the objection thatcertain parts of a bearing, after being loosened, are allowed to droponto a dirty licor or upon the ground. It is well known that greasybearing parts when so treated pick up all kinds of sand and gritparticles, and, while it may be argued that such particles may easily bewashed off.

Ait has been my experience that no'matter how carefully the bearingparts are washed, minute abrasive particles always remain, and when thebearing is again assembled, begin a cutting action which rapidlydeteriorates or even destroys the bearing. Many of the tools in everydayuse require the user to hold the tool with one hand and to strike itwith another tool, such as a hammer, held in the other hand, both handsbeinglocated on the same side of the point where the tool contacts thebearing'part.

In the present device I make use of an extension which passes throughthebore of a bearing and protrudes to a considerable distance on the farside thereof, thereby providing a catching member for any parts expelledfrom the bearings, and at the same time leaves one hand of the user freeto grip the extension, thereby preventing expelled bearing members fromsliding oi! and at the same time making possible a bal- An importantpart of the invention is a removable lmock-out head by means of whichbearing parts located in remote recesses of a wheel are rendered readilyaccessible.

In the drawing, which illustrates kone embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 represents a plan, partly in section, the section being takenFig. 2, a side elevation oi' the removable knockout head, partly insection. the section being taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 3, an end elevation, viewed from the left in Fig.2;

Fig. 4, an end elevation, viewed from the right in Fig. 2; a

Fig. 5, a side elevation corresponding to Fig. l, but showing inaddition a wheel hub in which the tool of the invention is positionedready for operation, the removable knock-out head being shown in sectiontaken on the line l-l in Fig. l;

Fig. 6, an end elevation of the wheel hub in Fig. 5 viewed from theleft; and showing the manner in which the removable knock-out head :islpassed through the constrlcted bore of the Fig. 7, a plan showing anoptional auxiliary detail: and

Fig. 8, a side elevation corresponding to Fig. "I.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I I indicates an elongated member,for example, a rod having advantageously a circular cross-section.v

Located at a suitable point along the rod is a stationary knock-out headI2, this head being preferably made of relatively soft metal such asbrass, securely iixed on the rod I Il, for example, by brazing. 'I'heshape of the xed head I2 may conveniently be that of a cone frustumhaving, optionally, a cylindrical portion I2-I below the base thereof.Extending a considerable distance beyond the small base of the conefrustum is a pilot or guide Il, for a purpose presently to be explained.'Ihe pilot forms an extension ot the rod III, and, therefore, both maybe included in the single term rod In the latter circumstance, theknock-out abutment or head I2 is secured intermediate the ends of therod, extended as the rod is by the pilot.

Loosely slidable on the pilot I4 and easily separable therefrom. is aremovable or portable knock-out head Iii.l The shape of the portableknock-out head follows approximately that of the stationary head I2,being basically and advantageously that of a cone frustum. In

' the case of the portable head, however, side poron the line I-I inFis. 5: 55

tions IS-I and IIa-2 are sliced oil' therefrom, preferably in such amanner as to deilne two opposite laces substantially parallel to thecone axis, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. When the portable head is viewedas directed by the arrow I in Fig. 2. it has the appearance indicated atII in Figs. l and 6.

In Fig. 6, the diagonal line II which is transverse to the cone axis 42,is the largest dimension suillcient travel for forcibly striking theanvil,

I5, and the hammer I8 may be kept from sliding of! by means of a stopcollar I8. Y.

I'he manner of using the tool will now be explained. In this instance, awheel hub 20, Fig. 5, fitted, for example, with two ball bearings asusual, an outer one and an inner one, vis taken as` the subject to beoperated upon. Only the cup 2| of the outer bearing, and the cup 22,cage 26, balls 25 and grease retainer 34 of the inner bearing, areshown, other parts of the bearings having been previously removed. Itremains to eject the cage 25 with the contained balls 25 and the tightlyheld grease retainer 34, from the more or less inaccessible recess ofthe hub. The outside face of the hub, that is to say, the face turnedaway from the vehicle (not shown), is indicated at 2li-I, and the insideface of the hub, at 25-2.

The bearing parts just mentioned, are ejected by applying an adequateforce acting in this' instance, Vin the direction of the arrow 40, Fig.5, against the cage 26. In order to prevent distortion of the parts, theforce must be equalized around the circumference of the cage. 'Ihlsequalization is attained by causing the portable head to contact thecage 26 along two arcs 26-I and 26-2, Fig. 4, these arcs lying in aplane such as 4 4, in Fig. 5. The diameter of the circleof which thearcs 26.-I and 26-2 are parts, is greater than the diameter of the bore24 through which the portable head I5 must pass.

The manipulation of the invention in effecting the' ejection of theparts as just described, is as follows: The first step is to slip thehead I5 oilv the member I4, and to pass this head through the bore 24into the inner recess of the hub, as previously explained. Next, thehead I5 is turned and seated in the cage, approximately in the positionshown in Fig. 5. The pilot portion I4 of the rod is now passed throughthe bore 24 and is pushed into the head I5. The pilot I4 serves as aguide for conducting the stationary head I2 to its seat in the conicalcounterbore 22 of the portable head I 5 as indicated in Fig. 5.

After the tool has been placed as just described, the user with one handat 29, the left one in this instance, holds the tool seated by forcingit in the direction of Ithe arrow l0, while at the'same time, with hisother hand at 3l, the user reciprocates the hammer I8, as indicated bythe doublepointed arrow 32, with sumcient striking force against theanvil IB until the cage 25 and the grease retainer 34 are ejected fromthe hub 20 and precipitated onto the pilot I4, which acts as a catchingmember, approximately as indicated by the dotted lines at 42.

The user has a balanced control of the tool because it is grasped by twohands at points spaced suillciently far apart from each other, with thetwo knock-out heads .I2 and I5 positioned intermediate the two hands.

Ordinarily the users hand is a satisfactory stop for the parts ejectedfromabearing, but ifit becomes desirable to have a mechanical stop, the

assaass construction shown in Figs, 'I and 8 advantageously lls'theneed. Since there can ,be no obstruction to the travel of the portablehead I5 along the pilot, any mechanical stop must be movable out of theway.

major and a minor, lying in planes transverse to each other. The majordiameter is greater than, and the minor diameter less than, the dlameterof a given opening. The portable head is disposed to have motion alongthe longitudinal axis of a pilot guide. Advantagecusly, as in thepresent instance, the major diameter of the portable head isperpendicular to the pilot axis, and the minor diameter of the portablehead lies in a plane which contains the pilot axis. In use, the portablehead is engaged by the pilot along which it slides until it strikes thestationary head, the latter forming an abutment to bear against theportable head when the latter is driven against an obstruction. v

The stationary knock-out head I2 may be used directly for bearing partshaving diameters within its range, and where it is not necessary for thehead to first pass through an opening having a diameter less than thatrange.

While a specific embodiment of the invention is herein shown anddescribed, minor changes can be readily made without departing from thescope of the following claims.

Having fully described my invention what I claim is:

1. A knock-out tool, including in combination. arod; a knock-outabutment secured to the rod; a removable knock-out head adapted to bepositioned on the rod in contact with the said knockout abutment, saidremovable knock-out head being longer than it is thick or wide, and itslength extending transversely of its mounting axis, so that, whenremoved from the rod, it can be lnserted lengthwise through restrictedpassage means leading to an apertured element to be knocked out oi'place, but so that, when thereafter positioned on the rod, its lengthextends transversely across the aperature oi the said element, and itsends abut firmly against the said element, serving to knock the saidelement out of place when impact is applied to the rod; and a pilotmember extending from that portion of the rod which is adjacent theremovable knock-out head, the said pilot member forming a longitudinalextension of the rod and serving to substantially balance the tool andto catch the apertured element as it is knocked out of place by theremovable knock-out head.

2. A knock-out tool, including in combination. a rod: a knock-outabutment secured to the rod; and a removable knock-out head adapted tobe positioned on the rod in contact with the said knock-out abutment,said removable knock-out head being longer than it is thick or wide, andits length extending transversely of its mounting axis, so that, whenremoved from the rod, it can be inserted lengthwise through restrictedpassage means leading to an apertured element to be knocked out ofplace. but so that. when thereafter positioned on the rod, its lengthextends transversely across the aperature of the said element. and itsends abut iirmly against the said element, serving to knock the saidelement out of place when impact is applied to the rod. the removableknock-fout head being in the shape of a cone frustrum having twoopposite portions sliced oi! symmetrically about the cone axis in planeswhich are substantially parallel with the cone axis, the mounting axisbeing coincident with the cone axis.

3. A knock-out tool, including in combination. a rod adapted to passfreely through the aperture of an apertured element to be knocked out ofplace; a knock-out abutment secured to the rod intermediate its ends;and a removable knock-out head adapted to be positioned on one endportion of the rod and to slide along the rod into contact with the saidknock-out abutment, said removable knock-out head being longer than itis thick 20 or wide, and its length extending transversely of extendstransversely across. the said aperture of the apertured element, and itsends iirmly abut against the said apertured element, serving to knockthe said apertured element out of place.

when impact is applied to the rod, that end portion of the rod which isopposite the end portion to which impact is applied serving to catch theejected apertured element, the removable knockout head beingin the shapeof a cone frustrum having two opposite portions sliced oi! symmetricallyabout the cone axis in planes which are substantially parallel with thecone axis, the mounting axis being coincident with the cone axis.

HOWARD J. ENGH.

